Ancient DNA Analysis Reveals True Appearance of “Exotic” 6th-Century Chinese Emperor

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Researchers reconstructed Emperor Wu’s face using DNA from his remains, revealing typical East Asian features. The study suggests he died of a stroke at 36 and highlights Xianbei and Han Chinese intermarriage. Future research will focus on ancient Chang’an city. Credit: Pianpian Weifrom his remains, revealing his typical East Asian features and suggesting his premature death at 36 may have been due to a stroke.

Emperor Wu was a ruler of the Northern Zhou dynasty in ancient China. Under his reign from AD 560 to AD 578, Emperor Wu built a strong military and unified the northern part of ancient China after defeating the Northern Qi dynasty. “Some scholars said the Xianbei had ‘exotic’ looks, such as thick beard, high nose bridge, and yellow hair,” says Shaoqing Wen, one of the paper’s corresponding authors at Fudan University in Shanghai. “Our analysis shows Emperor Wu had typical East or Northeast Asian facial characteristics,” he adds.In 1996, archaeologists discovered Emperor Wu’s tomb in northwestern China, where they found his bones, including a nearly complete skull.

Emperor Wu died at the age of 36, and his son also died at a young age with no clear reason. Some archaeologists say Emperor Wu died of illness, while others argue the emperor was poisoned by his rivals. By analyzing Emperor Wu’s DNA, researchers found that the emperor was at an increased risk for stroke, which might have contributed to his death.

 

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